Customer Reviews

Mirage of Blaze: The Complete Collection, Vol. 1-4

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

To begin with, if you are looking for Mechas, CB or stuff like that etc. than you you should avoid this anime.

Also, if someone of you does not like a series that includes, in the broader sense of meaning, man to man `attractions' than you better should skip this one as well.

Well, a few words about the story:

The two main characters (protagonists) are Kagetora and Naoe. In order to understand the story, you should keep in mind that although the main story resolves in our times you will get information and `flashbacks' of earlier times as well. The reason is that:
a) Re-incarnation of souls
b) The two main protagonists used to live in feudal time-periods when war was going on and they are re-incarnated today with `new' names: Takkaya is Kagetora and Yuzuru is Naoe.
c) The war that used to be at earlier times continues still today (by psychic powers etc.).
d) War occurs in both our world and the spiritual world.
e) Power games between Clans etc.

The problem: The warriors do remember their past lives etc. but Kagetora does not (in order to fully awaken his powers he needs to remember). This will lead to an explosive mixture of `switching' emotions; for instance, you will see that Naoe loves and hates Kagetora as well (may sound confusing but when watching it you will understand. Apart from it, when watching the continuation of this series, called `Mirage of Blaze: Rebels of the River Edge OVA' you will see the reason why).

Furthermore, the story is also very character driven. It does indeed introduce you to a lot of information and various other characters but I personally believe that once you watch it you will be able to sort it out.

Unfortunately I cannot write much more about the story or otherwise I would start giving things away which could ruin the suspense when watching it (sorry guys).

As for the story it is very good, interesting, and solid with many twists. Moreover, it is very emotional and has a great character development; therefore, if you are the sensible type than prepare for an emotional rollercoaster. The series could be categorized under the genre of fantasy/action and romance.

The dub is very good as is the music as well that accompanies the story (starts with something like a rock/pop song and finishes with a melodic song); not to mention the fact that the animation is very good, too.

As for bad guys and action you will have more than enough like the Fuuma Ninjas etc.

As for extras: Well the typical stuff like trailers etc. (The second one comes with more fan service and so forth).

Additional:

The story is based on supernatural facts, believes etc. Meaning that the explanations they provide belong to the category of supernatural (something like Anthroposophy or Theosophy 'teachings' and in addition with implication of Christianity, Buddhism, exorcism and all of it combined with magic). Furthermore, the fights that take place belong to the supernatural plane as well but affect tremendously our material world. For instance, if someone sends out to kill an opponent with a psychic fireball (I apologise for the `weird' terminology that I just used) than it will hit our world like an explosion etc.

To sum up:
Is it worth buying it? My answer would be yes, the price is good, and I do recommend them. Apart from it, if you have not yet included a different show in your anime collection than this superb show is worth owning.

I hope I could help you ^_^

Mirage of Blaze is a boy/boy relationship centered anime. I had already experienced and loved a similar story titled Gravitation, but where Gravitation leans towards the comedic, Mirage of Blaze is pure action romance drama with its inherent extra dosage of angst. This is one anime that will satisfy those looking for more complex serious adult oriented plots/stories and the fact that the romance centers on two gorgeous male characters makes it all the better.

This is the type of story that requires full attention. No fluffy plot. You need to think in order to fully appreciate it. There are dozens of names/characters and a myriad of information that helps you piece the plot together and that may confuse those with a weak attention span. If you are the type that only wants the romantic couple to get down to business with not much back-story, then this may not be for you. Like I said, there are several characters integral to Mirage of Blaze, however, I will only comment on the two that are the nucleus of the story.

A battle of feudal Japan is still going in contemporary times with the main characters as spiritual beings that reincarnate over and over. Our heroes are Kagetora and his second in command/protector, Naoe. Kagetora does not remember his past, however, the sexual tension between him and Naoe is palpable from the very beginning, something that totally confuses Kagetora...I am hooked. What follows is a slow progression towards a confrontation between the two that gives us a glimpse of the true nature of their relationship and the depths of their feelings. Who would have thought that Naoe who is usually calm and in control of his emotions could become such a violent bursting volcano of resentment and jealousy or that Takkaya (Kagetora) so loving and concerned with his friend Yuzuru could be capable of great cruelty? Especially toward someone that he so obviously loves, even though he may not realize it yet or better said, refuses to acknowledge. When I say romance, I do not refer to the bring me flowers and candy romantic element, this is about love and hate, the need to protect and hurt simultaneously. This is about us the viewer cheering for our two heroes, wanting desperately for the misunderstandings to end so that they may finally open up to each other. This is soap opera at its best and I can't wait for more. I already bought Mirage of Blaze: Rebels of the River Edge OVA, and incredibly it is better than the series, if that is possible. In Rebels of the River Edge we are rewarded with some type of culmination between Kagetora and Naoe and we get a glimpse of the reason Kagetora fights so strongly against his love and desire for Naoe and the reason why Naoe hates and loves him. It is fascinating and engrossing to watch their conflicting emotions and inner battles. It is very seldom that I come across something this intricate, romantic and complex. Like I previously wrote, I am hooked for life.

I just finished viewing this anime series and was totally blown away by the masterful character development, complex relationships, and emotional intensity of the very attractive characters. It has a compelling and complex plot that held my interest so well that I was quickly hooked and anxious to see what would transpire in each of the next episodes (there are 3 episodes on each of the 4 CDs). The music and graphics are also top rate. After viewing this series, I went out and bought Japanese language instructional CDs and will now review the series in the original Japanese with English subtitles to help me start learning Japanese. The English dubbed version on the DVD is also quite good. I also highly recommend the sequel DVD, "Mirage of Blaze - the River Edge," and am passionately hoping that the wonderful production team that put this series together will delight us with additional volumes.

Mirage of Blaze has an involving story line and exciting character interactions, characters you could just fall in love with and characters that inspire sympathy.

Yoai(boy-boy love)...if you dont like it then dont watch this anime. There is not a lot but enough. This series was good, the animation very well done and the characters were pretty well developed. However, the story was very very slow moving. It seemed like hardly anything ever happened. And the romantic conflict between the 2 main characters never came to a close...nothing got resolved. And if your like me, you will love the hair. I am a sucker for great hair in an anime...so much that ill hardly watch one that doesnt have awesome hair somewhere. Hope this helped.

Four hundred years ago in Japan, warring clans battled each other for control of the island. Unwilling to let death stop their fight, the warriors of each clan began to reincarnate themselves, leading to an ongoing war that today shows no signs of abating.

17 year old Takaya is the reincarnated leader of the Uesugi clan--but he can't remember it. When strange people begin showing up and telling him that he is, in fact, Lord Kagetora, he refuses to believe it until dangerous circumstances force him to confront his past.

As the episodes unfold and more people begin to target his life, Takaya tries to remember just what horrible trauma in his past made him forget everything. Just what has it to do with the handsome and powerful Naoe, and Naoe's obvious sexual obsession with him? What did Naoe do to him...and what did he do to Naoe?

The Mirage of Blaze anime is a 13 episode condensed version of nine novels. For the most part the animators do a great job translating the book to the TV screen; they get all the important events from the books and do it with dramatic flair. However, be warned that as there's so much material to cover and so many characters to introduce that you have to really pay attention to figure out what's going on and to keep all the characters, places and clans straight.

The focus of the series is the rather twisted (and fascinating) relationship between Naoe and Takaya, and the retrieval of Takaya's past memories. Because there are forty books in the written series, it was obviously difficult for the writers to bring the series to and end, but I think they did an admirable job. Though open-ended, there was a sense of closure that made made the last episode satisfying.

The Japanese acting was wonderful. The voices were perfect, and both emotionally intense scenes and action scenes came across beautifully. The English voices are less fitting in my personal opinion, but all of the actors did well and made Mirage of Blaze an unusually good dub.

Unless homosexuality bothers you (and it would have to bother you a lot, because except for two almost-kisses the Naoe/Takaya relationship is almost all innuendo), this series is recommended for fans of romance, history and supernatural action alike.

This series is a "character based" anime, which to me means that the plot of this story is going to be a slow progression towards a final confrontation between the two (or more) main characters. The story revolves around reincarnation, spells, magic, waring clans, betrayal...whew! -- all the good stuff that makes this story so engrossing! Without giving away the plot, you basically have two characters, "Kagetora" who has been reincarnated and now resides in the body of a high school student named "Takkaya." Naoe is the other main character also reincarnated, is very independent and has been for a while, banishing demons and such. Okay, so now you're thinking, "What the hell?!" -- but be patient. The story develops slowly because you need to understand why their relationship is the way it is. It is truly a "love/hate relationship," Naoe, who is usually calm and in control of his emotions, is bursting with resentment and jealousy, and Kagetora, so loving and concerned with his friend Yuzuru, is cruel and vicious towards Naoe. It's only because Kagetora is struggling with his love for Naoe; it's almost as if he refuses to acknowledge it. However, there is a reason for Kagetora feeling this way...his soul has become hardened with what he went through 400 years ago. Maybe a bit "soap-opera-ish," (sorry - it's the only way to describe this), this story is all about love and hate & the inability of being able to tear yourself away from the one person that tears you down emotionally, again and again, but then turns around and does something so dramatic, so loving, that you end up staying!!! DANG! (Had to get that out since I myself had been in a situation like that, many years ago). You desperately want a resolution, an end to the misunderstandings so that these two may finally open up to each other, but guess what?!?! Sorry - I don't want to spoil the ending!!! ;} I already bought and watched Mirage of Blaze: Rebels of the River Edge OVA, where we are rewarded with some type of culmination between Kagetora and Naoe. In that DVD, you will FINALLY get to see why Kagetora fights so strongly against his love and desire for Naoe and the reason why Naoe too, hates and loves Kagetora. (So that means you have another DVD to buy!) ;} Enjoy!

How can an anime be much better than most of expensive productions in the film industry?
I really wanted them (creators, studio staff etc) to release more episodes.